Elmhurst coffee shop owner pours compassion into efforts to serve the needy

For Elmhurst native Peter Thomas, compassion and social responsibility were instilled in him at an early age thanks to his beloved grandmother June.

“She would take me with her to the PADS and we would volunteer to help the homeless on the weekends,” Thomas said. “She would also take us to Hines VA to bring books and magazines to the veterans as an occasional escape from the trying memories that may still reside following the years after completing service. We’d go from room to room passing them out and hanging out with the veterans.”

When he started Pilot Pete’s Coffee & Treats business inside the Elmhurst Metra Station more than a decade ago, Thomas knew he wanted the shop to do more than just serve a good cup of brew. He wanted to use the space to serve humanity. And that’s exactly what he’s doing through his Coffee With a Purpose endeavor.

“Once I opened up my coffee shop, I was looking for an easy way to give back to the community so I thought I’d do a coat drive for the homeless,” Thomas said.

In the drive’s first year, held in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2015, about 3,000 coats were donated.

“I thought maybe if we’re lucky we’ll get 100 coats. And then we got 100 coats in the first 48 hours of the drive,’’ Thomas said. “The community just completely blew us away with their support.”

In its ninth year, the community initiative has grown to include collecting and distributing other necessities, including hats, gloves, scarves, socks, boots, blankets and toiletries, which can be dropped off at Pilot Pete’s Coffee & Treats from Halloween to Valentine’s Day.

“We collect all winter long,” Thomas said.

He and his crew pack a moving truck with the supplies and make stops throughout the Chicago area distributing the items.

A sorting event took place Dec. 3 at the train station to prepare the donations for delivery. About 30 volunteers showed up to help. Thomas said usually between 15 and 30 people make it to each sorting event.

Coffee is brewed up by the gallons to deliver with the winter supplies, along with baked goods. Bakery items were donated by Rough Edges Confectionary in Elmhurst. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were made by volunteer Jackie Voss.

“We run our coat drive every winter, traveling to the city every two weeks,” Thomas said. “Then we’ll pull up to different tent cities, walk up to the tents and personally invite (the residents) to our truck for free hot coffee and food. And we ask them what they need and we provide it.”

Only about a handful of volunteers go on the runs to Chicago each time.

“We don’t want to come off too intimidating,” Thomas said.

Since its inception, the Coffee With a Purpose initiative has collected and dispersed more than 40,000 coats and Pilot Pete’s Coffee & Treats has donated 7,500 gallons of coffee, Thomas said.

In addition to collecting donations, Pilot Pete’s Coffee & Treats sponsors a local charity or family in need every other Friday. The recipient is chosen by customers and Pilot Pete’s Coffee & Treats donates 20% of the day’s proceeds to the cause.

“It’s really cool to have so many people in the community join us on this,” Thomas said. “And we enjoy doing it.”

Thomas’ grandmother has passed away, but he is more than happy to keep her spirit alive with the annual Coffee With a Purpose endeavor.

“Grandma June truly lived a heartwarming and free-spirited life and was absolutely amazing and I do the coat drive as a way to honor her cherished memory,” Thomas said.

He calls the community’s response “absolutely immense.”

“It’s been an amazing journey over the past nine years working with, and certainly alongside, so many wonderful people right here in Elmhurst, many of which I tend to regard as unsung heroes,” Thomas said. “The warm words of encouragement we receive each time contributions of kindness are delivered continue to give us renewed purpose and light the flame that fuels us to stay the course and look onward in the years to come.”